Chapter Ten: Waiting for Love - Part I
Millicent was floating.
Literally floating.
And she doubted her feet would ever touch the ground again.
She had been since Nathan's unexpected phone call last night, declaring his love for her, and her declaring her love for him.
Millicent had been sitting at her antique French desk in the elegant but comfortable Living Room of her Townhouse since early morning, pausing a moment from making her many lists to glance out the window toward the park across the street.
She couldn't help but smile as she looked along the River Tributary that ran in front of her home, spotting only three larger boats and two smaller ones.
"Not much activity today for a Saturday…' she thought. "But October will soon be coming to an end!"
The water, was her favorite thing about living here, providing an exquisite view with year-round activities and various points of interest for the entire neighborhood.
The Queen's Park, as it was known, was the one place that seemed to bring everyone in the community together.
The Park had actually been designed to surround the water, creating one of the most beautiful Parks in all of Montreal, full of nature and splattered with artistic sculptures on both sides, by sculptors all across Canada and Europe, including Brancusi, Duchamp-Villon, Maillol, Matisse, and even Picasso.
In the very center of the Park, there was a Ferry Station on each side, with a single small Royal Ferry that traveled back and forth across the River transporting visitors from one side of the Park to the other, throughout the day.
Ornate bridges, suitable for Her Majesty's namesake, were at each end of the Park, allowing vehicular traffic to go from one side to the other, as well as the refined Horse Carriages that continuously encircled the Park, year-round.
"Oh, how I'd love to go on a Carriage ride," voiced Millicent wistfully out loud.
But that had been impossible due to security concerns.
"Oh well, at least I get to see these beautiful horses clip-clop by every day," she mused. "And I can dream."
Outside, she knew the air was cold, as November was just around the corner, but the sun was trying its best to peek through the chill and warm the day.
All she could feel was the warmth.
Of course, the warmth of the crackling fire in the fireplace, but more than that, the warmth inside her.
The warmth Nathan had put there last night with his profound words.
"Milli, come home," he had said.
And those three words meant everything to her.
She knew instantly what they meant because he was her home.
"My life is not only better with you in it, my life is exceptional with you in it."
Then this quiet Man, she had adored her entire life, spoke the most beautiful words of love that had taken her completely aback.
Unexpected words she had always wanted to hear but was afraid to believe they would ever come from him, no matter how desperately she wanted them to.
He had then very succinctly declared his love, and she would never forget it as long as she lived.
"I love you, Millicent, and I think I've been in love with you since the first time I met you when we were all of ten years old!"
Of all the symphonies Millicent had heard in her lifetime, none of their notes approached the import or grandeur of these simple words from the Man she loved with all her being.
They were, in fact, the most beautiful words she had ever heard, playing the most extraordinary notes to her heart, and to her very soul.
She was giddy with excitement.
A permanent radiant smile seemed to be plastered on her face, that only seeing or thinking of him could give her, and she thought her heart was going to burst with happiness.
She reached for the old silver-framed photo of the four of them as teenagers, that she kept on the corner of her desk.
It was her favorite.
Nathan was standing by her, tentatively holding her hand at sixteen years of age, probably on a dare from her brother, while Colleen stood on the other side of her, with Richard's arm draped around her neck.
All four had been laughing about some silly joke; she couldn't remember exactly what.
It didn't even matter.
They were all just so happy…
This photo as well as the others she had, showed their deep bond, even back then, as they were always standing side by side.
"But is this new adventure real? Am I imagining this," she asked herself.
"No, life couldn't possibly be that cruel."
This was real and Nathan, the love of her life, was on his way to her right this very moment!
'Is he feeling all these things too,' she wondered.
As though they were connected, and yes, they were, she knew the answer to that was a resounding yes!
Although these were brand new feelings, they were in love with each other and both of them were experiencing the exact same emotions.
She was sure of that.
She sat the photo back down in its spot and looked at the small porcelain clock sitting nearby.
She couldn't help but start to count the hours till his arrival…but was interrupted by a slight knock.
"Miss, I thought you might like some Hot Cinnamon Tea to warm you," offered Hendrix as he walked through the huge double doors with a large silver tray and tea service.
"Thank you, Hendrix. That sounds wonderful! I think I'll take a break, although I suppose I've already started it. Do you have a few moments? If you don't mind Cinnamon, I'll pour a cup for you too!"
"That would be lovely, Miss. You know, it's wonderful to see that beautiful smile on your face. You're positively radiant, and knowing that Master Nathan has put it there is even better. Estella and I couldn't be happier for the both of you!"
"Thanks ever so much, Hendrix! it's hard to believe this is really happening. But I've never been so happy!"
Millicent kissed his cheek as she walked past him to the damask sofa.
Hendrix was distinguished, with the demeanor you'd expect of a British Butler, but once you broke through that formal exterior, he was quite the loving prankster, although always done quite 'properly' as he would say!
He was dearly loved by the entire Bradford Family, as he had been in their employment since before Millicent was born, which meant he was Family too.
It seemed no one left the Bradford's employment, except to retire, as they were just good people, as kind and considerate to those who helped make their busy lives easier, as they were to their own friends and each other.
Back in the day, Hendrix and "the Boys," meaning Nathan and Richard, were known for their many exploits together. All three could still proudly, and some not so proudly, recall them. Most involved rowing and sailing on the Athabasca River. But a few, they preferred not to talk about, actually involved falling INTO the Athabasca River, followed by some harrowing rescues!
Poor Hendrix!
"Every single time I take those boys out on that River, they take another two years off my life," he had often declared after an outing, always promising never to take them to the river again!
"Ah, Hendrix, you know we keep you young," insisted Master Richard.
Whereas Master Nathan had always been smart enough to remain silent and not push it.
Just as Nathan's Mother, Sophia, had had her work cut out teaching all four rambunctious Children the finer things in life, including Art, Dancing, Music, and Equestrianship, Hendrix had had his work cut out teaching his "Boys" rowing and sailing!
But his patience and persistence finally prevailed, valiantly keeping both Young Men alive against all the odds, and eventually making them expert rowers and sailors in spite of themselves, in a very upper-crust British sort of way!
"I was just counting the hours till his arrival," admitted Millicent, blushing.
"Twenty-nine hours, Miss, till Master Nathan's train arrives! Add another hour for you and Albert to greet, pick him up and drive him home, depending on traffic, thirty tops!"
Millicent couldn't help but shriek.
"I simply can't wait to see him!"
"Neither can we. You know Miss, it's been a few years since he's been here. Estella and I are anxious to see him, too. What can we do, Miss, to help make his visit perfect?"
"I was thinking we'd have him stay in the Master Suite of the Guest Townhouse, so everything will be all proper," she grinned. "Besides, that's our nicest, and I think he'll be most comfortable there. Maybe we should open up the downstairs as well, to make him feel more at home?"
"Of course. I'll see that everything's made ready, Miss. What about meals?"
"You know, don't worry about meals, Hendrix. We'll probably mostly be eating out for our Lunches and Dinners. So that really only leaves Breakfasts for here. I'll let you know if that changes. Though I am hoping we can work in one of our famous Sunday Brunches before we leave on the train to go back to Hope Valley!"
"You're going back to Hope Valley, Miss?"
"Yes, to tell Allie our news in person and to spend as much time with her as we can, just the three of us!"
"Ah, we can't wait to meet Miss Allie! How long do you plan to be gone, Miss?"
"Just a week. I'll need to get back to work and of course, the Holiday Season for the Charities will be starting! But, as for Allie, you and Essie are going to love her. She's Colleen made over, except with lighter brown hair. She's amazing and Nathan's done a wonderful job raising her. Can't wait for the two of you to meet her. I'm hoping I can talk Nathan into bringing her to Montreal for the Holidays! I can't wait for her to meet you two and the entire Family."
"Plus no one does Christmas like the Bradfords, Miss!"
Millicent smiled as her voice softened.
"Allie's had a lot of loss in her young life, Hendrix. I hope we can somehow make up for that! I love her so very much already. It was really hard to leave her. However, I am a little anxious about what she'll think about all this. She's had Nathan to herself now for the last eight years, and they adore each other. I know she wants a Family, and I know she loves me, but I don't want her to think I'm intruding."
"Miss, you could never intrude. Sounds like to me she'll welcome having the love of a female, and her mother's best friend, too! Don't you see, Miss? It's like this was meant to be. Estella and I always knew you and Master Nathan were meant to be, but you knew Miss Colleen better than anyone other than Master Nathan. You'll be able to share things about her Mother from a woman's perspective, and that will be an immeasurable gift to our Miss Allie!"
"Oh, Hendrix, that's such a lovely thought. Allie deserves to know as much as possible about our beautiful Colleen. But there's another thing that concerns me. Allie was deeply disappointed by a broken relationship, where she had counted on that Lady being her new Mother, and it ended badly with the Lady choosing someone else, and then that not working out. But the point is, Allie was hurt all over again in the process. I just hope having gone through all that, she can truly trust me, and that Nathan and I can figure out a way to make this transition as easy as possible for her."
"I'm sure you and Master Nathan will manage to do just that, Miss. And I'm sure it will all work out. Families take time, you know. Even in birth Families, it's a gradual blending of relationships over time. Don't ever forget that. Oh my, look at the clock. I'd better be going to help Estella. Lunch will be served at half past noon if that's suitable?"
"That's perfect, Hendrix. And thank you for the tea and the chat. But please see that Estella keeps Lunch light," she smiled.
Hendrix laughed.
"She does tend to go overboard, Miss. But I'm afraid there's not much I can do about that!"
Millicent grinned, knowing Hendrix was right, as Estella had a mind of her own.
She sipped the last of her tea, before going back to her desk and her lists.
As a prolific list maker, she was making several separate lists, smiling, knowing that Nathan would be doing the same.
One for Nathan, one for her, one for Allie, and another one for both locations, Hope Valley and Montreal.
Sometime during the week, they'd compare their lists and come up with a master plan moving ahead.
The very thought made Millicent look forward to her new future, as she had never done so before, with pure elation!
"Yes, this is very real and more wonderful than I could have ever imagined!"
Millicent had everything money could buy, yet ironically, she preferred the simple things life had to offer! Cuddling up inside with a good book during a storm, gathering flowers and arranging them, getting up early on Saturday morning and cooking breakfast for everyone, having a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows (her absolute favorite wintry drink), playing the piano, riding her beloved Serena with abandon, sipping a hot cup of tea dripping with honey, sketching her current view whatever it happened to be, stepping into the mud to go fly-fishing, walking in the park (although that was a security nightmare and seldom happened), watching a beautiful sunset, and so many, many more.
To her, life really was about the little things!
And gloriously so…
"Miss, Lunch is served," announced Hendrix.
"Coming, Hendrix. Just about done!'
Millicent placed her completed lists in her middle desk drawer and headed to the Dining Room.
"Essie, this is a feast!"
"Sit, Child. You need some nourishment!"
Although it wasn't standard, Millicent insisted Estella and Hendrix eat with her, when they were alone.
They were a Family, and they held hands and said grace together just like Families do.
Estella, otherwise known as Essie, had joined the Bradford Family just after Millicent had been born, so she had been with them almost as long as Hendrix had!
She was Austrian, happy in nature but no-nonsense, and as tough as nails when she had to be.
She was almost fifty, and still attractive with long auburn hair that was more coppery in color, worn in a loose bun at the nape of her neck, perfectly complementing her silvery blue-gray eyes.
She had never married, instead dedicating her life to raising the Bradford Children and the Grant Children by extension.
She had known Nathan and Colleen since they were ten years old, and had raised them right along with all the Bradford Children, loving them both since the moment she met them!
Essie's grief for Colleen had been deep and she still missed her terribly.
"My beautiful sweet girl taken much too young," she would always say with tears in her eyes. "Had her whole life to live, she did."
She loved all of them as her own, but she was a tough taskmaster, always demanding the best of them.
Essie had always tried to hide it, but all the Children knew Colleen was Essie's favorite, and they used that to their advantage.
Colleen, perceptive beyond her years, had been the one who helped the other children read Miss Essie.
"Just look at her eyes! If they're all twinkly, she's not going to get too mad at us!"
And Colleen had been right, as usual.
Besides as Miss Essie's favorite, if they got into a real scrape, Colleen had been the one to always smooth it over!
Because Miss Essie was a force to be reckoned with and the direct link to both sets of parents, who took her advice and recommendations for discipline without question!
But when she wasn't angry with them over one of their many mischievous escapades gone too far, she joined in their frivolity and they loved her implicitly.
"Essie, I'm just too excited to eat with Nathan coming. I think I'll just stick with the Soup!"
"Hmph! There's not going to be enough of you left for him to see you if you don't eat a bite or two!"
"Why, Essie, this Tomato Bisque is delicious! You made this from scratch, didn't you," asked Millicent adroitly changing the subject, or so she thought.
"Yes, Miss, I did. But that still doesn't mean it's enough for a grown woman to eat! At least eat the Grilled Cheese Croutons."
"Oh, my favorite! That I can do!"
Essie was still not happy, as the Soup and Croutons were Millicent's entire meal, but with a glance from Hendrix, she finally relented, and stopped fussing, knowing she was fighting a losing battle!
After a quick Lunch, Millicent needed to take her leave and get back to work.
"Essie, Hendrix, I hate to do this, but I have a really important case that I have to work on. It can be placed on the Court Docket any day now, and I have to get it done before Nathan arrives. Will you all please excuse me and finish without me?"
Estella opened her mouth to object, but Hendrix gave her a reprimanding look and quickly answered for the both of them.
"Of course, Miss. We'll be fine and I'll bring you your Dessert."
Millicent started to object as Dessert was the last thing she wanted, but one look at Essie warned her to not dare think of refusing it.
So, she smiled instead and went back to her Living Room desk and opened her briefcase.
Back at her desk, she poured over the sheaf of papers inside, going over and over them, as there was one sticky point that simply made no sense, giving her the beginnings of a headache.
"That will have to be researched Monday by our legal team," noted Millicent as she circled the point in question.
She then moved over to the sofa with a second particularly large stack, that had been sitting on the corner of her desk, and restarted her perusal of the new documents.
Three-fourths of the way through, she fell sound asleep, with the papers flying everywhere.
It wasn't long that Hendrix and Essie came with her Dessert, Essie clucking, not at all happy with Miss Millicent's meager appetite and nonstop work schedule.
But she grabbed the afghan, lovingly covered her, and quietly gathered the papers, put them in order, and laid them neatly on the coffee table, while Hendrix drew the drapes and closed the door after Essie, praying Miss Millicent would get the sleep she so desperately needed!
It had been a most difficult week and for the first time in a long time, their Miss Millicent was about to have a very exciting, happy one!
And they wanted her relaxed and ready…
Edward Bradford had been blessed with great talent at business, resulting in massive wealth for him and his family.
In fact, he was the richest man in all of Canada, very powerful, highly regarded, and extremely well known.
He was a good honest Christian man, but because of his massive wealth, God Himself expected both Edward and his Family to benefit others.
Millicent's parents lived by that charge, founded in Luke 12:48, and expected their children to as well:
"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." (*3)
Surprisingly, Victoria, Millicent's own Mother had been raised under very racially prejudiced conditions, in abject poverty. Others would have forgotten or been embarrassed by their difficult, humble beginnings and instead revel in their new plush life, but not her.
Victoria Bradford, now the beautiful doyenne of Canadian Society, never once forgot where she came from!
Although it was a very unpopular decision socially at the time, at least from society's perspective, especially her mortified upper-crust Parents-in-Law, she became her own people's champion, as well as many others like them, holding her head high while doing it.
Yes, the Bradford's had carved a different path, an authentic way of doing things, ignoring the stodgy social conventions of the time.
When all of Millicent's Society Friends reached the age of sixteen, their parents sent them to gallivant around Europe for the summer.
But not the Bradfords.
Instead, her parents had sat Millicent down for a very serious talk, expecting her to work the entire time she was on summer vacation.
"You're now at the age, Darling, where it's time to start giving back to those less fortunate. Your Father and I thought since you love children so much, that would be a good focus for you. It's a controversial, but badly needed focus! We believe, with training, you could make a real difference."
Instead of sulking about missing her trip to Europe with her Friends, Millicent took her parents' charge seriously, and unlike most Social Philanthropists, rolled up her sleeves and became active at the ground level under her Mother's direction.
What she found, appalled her, and caused her to become totally committed to children's causes, shaping her life in a most surprising way.
"Mother, the majority of these children are in dire need. So many in deplorable poverty, others part of a growing middle class, but not a lot better off! And the immigrant children have been transplanted from Eastern and Southern Europe into a whole new world, where they're treated so poorly and feel so lost! Most can't even speak English or French, only their native language!"
"Rural children work at hard labor on their family farms, Millicent, while children in the cities and towns work at hard labor in mines and factories. Thank goodness your Father refuses to allow that! Although look at the children on every street corner, shining shoes, selling food and newspapers! It's a desperate situation! Children are pretty much used wherever they can be worked," agreed her Mother.
"Most don't even go to school, Mother. And if they do, it's not their main focus; their 'jobs' are. They don't even have a childhood! It's just horrible!"
"The tragic thing, Darling, is laws have been made to protect the children, but over time, each and every single one of them has been declared unconstitutional by the highest Court in our land, once again giving adults free rein to abuse these small beings who have no voice, whatsoever! Something has to be done, Millicent!"
Millicent was horrified, and she was determined to fix the unfairness of it all.
Living conditions, protecting them from child labor or at least improving conditions, improving schools to meet their needs and enforcing attendance, teaching them English and French so they could communicate, making sure they were fed and clothed properly, improving the foster system, protecting them from orphanages with no ethics selling them on the black markets - all these things and more were now front and center focuses in Millicent's new life.
"I'm going to Law School!" she defiantly announced.
"Are you sure? That's a Man's World, Darling. You're more than capable and smart enough to manage it and I have no doubt you'll succeed, but are you sure you want to? Do you really want to put yourself through the ridicule that's sure to come from them?"
"Mother, I don't have a choice. It's the only way I'll ever be able to work and change laws and write new ones for the government to consider!"
And as difficult as her course was, she never once looked back!
This was what she was meant to do.
She knew it deep inside.
She had found her purpose.
She could distinctly remember her Mother's encouragement throughout her journey and again after College Graduation.
"Darling, I know it's difficult. Taking a more visible role was for me as well! But your work, your charities now demand your leadership and visibility. I'll help you as much as possible, and I do promise it will get easier with time!"
Just as the Bradford wealth had forced her to become more outgoing as a social leader, the children gave Millicent a reason for being, a cause, a focus, a passion - to pour herself into, freely giving of her time, her talent, and her own money.
It was the children who filled Millicent's heart and changed her forever, turning her into a dynamo of a champion for their needs, with the majority of her workload consisting of Pro Bono cases involving family, either parents or children in some way.
But in the process of immersing herself in her cause, Millicent had lost herself.
Although she preferred a quiet evening at home more than anything, she seldom had one, because there was always some pressing social event where she needed to represent her family for some charity!
And since she was a Bradford, the glamorous one at that, she was always the big draw for the night, ensuring huge attendance just by being there, and therefore lots more money contributed to the cause.
It had been very difficult for her to be comfortable center stage, as she was extremely introverted by nature.
Her stomach went into knots, her knees knocked, her voice shook, and she literally felt as though she was going to be sick, but she kept pushing herself, determined to rise to the need because it was expected of her, and it was also necessary.
After much anguish trying to figure it all out, Millicent finally discovered, she was able to fulfill her duties more comfortably by focusing on the cause itself and the people she was trying to help, instead of thinking about her own insecurities.
Once she discovered that, she became confident and formidable, truly excelling at her fund-raising and work endeavors.
It was her beauty and charm that first captivated their attention, but it was her authenticity, her knowledge, and her passion that drew the wealthy into champion her causes, freely donating their vast amounts of money.
She had succeeded so well in her transformation from introvert to extrovert, that now she was just seen as a friendly outgoing person by all those who met her, with none of the shyness holding her back.
But Millicent was far more complex than that…
(*3) King James Bible, Luke 12:48, Public Domain